


Some People Deserve to Get Punched

by decorativefrog



Category: Boy Meets World
Genre: Angst, Bullying Awareness, Fights, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, at least i think there's some fluff, this is lowkey based off a tiktok i saw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:53:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24675664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/decorativefrog/pseuds/decorativefrog
Summary: Shawn steps up to Kyle and jabs a finger into his face, "Listen here-""Hey, knock it off and get to class!" A teacher, who was alerted by the increasing noise and crowd of the hallway, warns.Shawn doesn't flinch at the interrupting. He continues glaring up at Kyle, "You got off easy." Shawn spits before turning around and beginning to walk away."Easy like your mom?"Shawn freezes in his spot and slowly turns back around to face Kyle, chuckling humorlessly. "That's a good one." Before anybody could react, Shawn swings back and punches Kyle so hard it knocks the other boy to the floor, his nose dripping blood.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 52





	Some People Deserve to Get Punched

**Author's Note:**

> so i got this idea from this tiktok i saw and could not stop watching for some reason (link: https://vm.tiktok.com/J11vQPm/ ) and decided to make a fanfic. 
> 
> i always feel weird writing in like feeny or parents cause idk if i get their vibes right. like i had no idea how virna would really act because she dipped and then came in for a few episodes before dipping again so :/
> 
> anyway, good vibes all around.
> 
> please enjoy :)

Throughout his entire life, Shawn Hunter has always gotten a lot of shit from people about where he lives, who his family is, and how much money he has. Doesn't matter what school and doesn't matter where, it's all the same. There's the kids who don't care and there's the kids who get some sick thrill over emphasizing someone's insecurities. Shawn is an easy target, coming from a broken home- well, trailer- and wearing hand-me-down's hand-me-downs. There's a lot of things you could tease Shawn for.

That takes us to where we are now. 

It was a normal day- emphasis on the 'was'- and Cory had been whining about some problem that could easily be solved if he just confronted the issue head on instead of backpedaling with idiotic schemes. However, scheming is fun and Cory and Shawn have about one collective brain cell so overcomplicating things is kind of their M.O. 

So, there the two of them were at their lockers, minding their own business, chatting about nothing and everything at the same time. When the bell ring, Cory and Shawn slung their backpacks over their shoulders and closed their lockers, heading to their next class. 

At least that would've been the case if some guy hadn't shoved Shawn right back into the lockers. 

Shawn lets out a grunt as his back hits the wall and glares up at the bozo who cornered him there. It's unfortunate that Shawn hadn’t kept his height advantage he had all throughout elementary school, that would've came in handy just about now. "Hey, Hunter." Kyle, the school's infamous douchebag, taunts. 

Students who were planning on going to class saw the exchange and began to gather around, more interested in filling the boring day with something that's worth telling a story about.

"What?" Shawn said with the most monotone voice he can muster. Rule number one: don't let the bully know you're afraid of them. Well, technically rule number one is don't get bullied but we're way past that now. 

"Shawn, let's go." Cory whispered, trying his best to get Shawn out of the situation without getting involved. 

"You got something you want to say, Brillo head?" Kyle says, turning to Cory which causes Cory to let out an unmanly yelp. So much for not getting involved. 

"Nope. No, nothing to say here." Cory says, awkwardly laughing and flailing his arms around. "Isn't that right, Shawnie? Me, I'm the least talkative guy there is. I have absolutely nothing to say most of the time. In fact-" Kyle cuts Cory off by grabbing the collar of his shirt and giving him an intimidating stare. 

With the attention on Cory, Shawn was able to peel himself off the lockers and get a more defensive stance. "Hey, don't touch him." Shawn says, pushing Kyle away from Cory. "What do you want?" He repeats in an irritated voice. Rule number two and three: intimidate back and act like you don’t care about what they have to say. 

Kyle forgets about Cory and smirks at Shawn, “I saw your mom." 

If this was perhaps anybody else, it would've been an odd- and somewhat creepy- comment. 'I saw your mom' can mean a number of things: at the supermarket, picking her children up from school, gardening in front of the house. The list goes on. But, Shawn was not anybody else. Shawn was a trailer trash kid with not enough money and too many bills to pay. Shawn knew what his mother did when money was particularly low. After all, money has been particularly low for quite some time now.

Shawn swallows his fear, “Congratulations." He deadpans, praying his voice didn't waver. At this point more students began surrounding them, interest prioritizing over class. There were still no teachers here to witness what was happening, which of course, encouraged the teasing further. 

Shawn tries to grab Cory and move away but is stopped by Kyle towering over him.

"She's very attractive." Kyle continues and Shawn wants to throw up. 

"Well, I guess it runs in the family." Shawn responds, already feeling his breath quicken. He wants to get out now. 

"Just like being a whore?" The taunt in Kyle's voice is obvious, and students around them simultaneously snicker and gasp at the statement. 

Shawn goes still and Cory tries to move him along, "Forget about him, let's just go." 

Everyone is looking at Shawn and he just wants to disappear. He doesn't want to show that Kyle is getting to him though and shoots the guy a dirty look, "You wanna get to the point already?" Shawn smooths his tongue along his teeth checking to make sure nothing is loose. Rule number four: prepare to get in a fight. 

This just makes Kyle chuckle, "Aren't you quick for some action." He then puts a finger to his chin mockingly, pretending to think, "Now where have I seen that before? Oh, right, I remember. When your mom was at the street corner chatting up some stranger for dollar bills."

There are whispers scattered throughout the hallway, some shocked at the pronouncement of his mom and others saying they aren't that surprised. All of the whispers begin to merge together until every breath feels too close and too loud and Shawn is suffocating.

Shawn steps up to Kyle and jabs a finger into his face, "Listen here-"

"Hey, knock it off and get to class!" A teacher, who was alerted by the increasing noise and crowd of the hallway, warns. 

Shawn doesn't flinch at the interrupting. He continues glaring up at Kyle, "You got off easy." Shawn spits before turning around and beginning to walk away.

"Easy like your mom?"

Shawn freezes in his spot and slowly turns back around to face Kyle, chuckling humorlessly. "That's a good one." Before anybody could react, Shawn swings back and punches Kyle so hard it knocks the other boy to the floor, his nose dripping blood. 

It takes maybe a second before a group of faculty come rushing to the scene, seeing Shawn standing there with his chest heaving as he stares down at Kyle who is clutching his nose in pain. Despite the big ass trouble Shawn knows he's in, he can't help but feel proud at seeing Kyle wither in pain while his knuckles pulse with triumph. 

Shawn barely notices Turner grabbing his bicep and practically dragging him to Feeny's office. Shawn doesn't care. Kyle had it coming. 

"Yeah, Shawn, laugh now but you _know_ Feeny doesn't tolerate violence." Shawn didn't even realize he started to smile, whoops. "What were you _thinking_ , kid? Getting into a fight? Punching someone? This isn't like you." Turner lectures. He doesn't understand.

Feeny is already standing outside the office, like he already heard about the fight and was waiting for the perpetrator's arrival. Shawn couldn't help but shrink at the disappointment in Feeny's eyes when he saw it was him. 

"Mr. Hunter." Feeny says in his typical I'm-not-mad-I'm-disappointed Feeny voice. He then nods to Turner, "I got this, Jonathan, you may go." Turner looked down at Shawn still being held tightly in his grasp and looks back up at Feeny ready to protest. However, one look from Feeny has Turner sighing and nodding, releasing Shawn from his hold. 

When Turner left, Feeny made the 'follow me' gesture and walked into his office, Shawn following silently. When they enter, Feeny shuts the door and sits at his desk, directing Shawn to take a seat as well.

Feeny shuffles through paperwork on his desk before interlacing his hands together and letting out a sigh, "Mr. Hunter, I do not tolerate violence at this school." Shawn doesn't even bother to look up from where he's staring blankly at a forgotten paper clip on the floor. He subconsciously runs his hand over his split knuckle, Kyle's words floating in his mind. 

'Just like being a whore?' Shawn is not a whore. And neither is his mother. 

When he sees zero response from Shawn, Feeny sighs again, only this time more agitated. "Mr. Hunter." He snaps, his patience wearing thin. Shawn startles and stares up at Feeny, finally giving him his attention. "Your behavior is unacceptable."

"Okay." It's the only thing Shawn can think of to say.

"Just okay?" Feeny says, his voice getting louder. He’s staring at Shawn like he wants something more out of him. Shawn isn't really sure what more he could offer.

'How about a blowjob?' A voice randomly echos in his head causing Shawn to flinch. He remembers that voice belonging to a man showing up at their front door looking for his mom. Shawn remembers telling him that she wasn't there and him replying that he has the money. Shawn wasn't sure what he wanted him to offer. The man told him. Shawn slammed the door and locked it, running to his room where he would spend the rest of the night trying to calm himself down from a panic attack. Shawn is not a whore.

"Mr. Hunter?" Feeny's familiar voice pulling Shawn out of his spiral. Shawn looks at Feeny, he hopes Feeny hadn’t been saying anything too important. "Have you listened to anything I just said?" Shit, Feeny was saying something important. The blank stare on Shawn's face causes Feeny to raise his voice to one more authoritarian and less calm, "Violence is not tolerated at this school. I don't know what's gotten into you but there is no excuse for that kind of behavior and you will be receiving punishment for your actions." 

Shawn doesn't like it when Feeny yells. "Mr. Feeny-"

"There better be an apology following those words, Mr. Hunter." 

This causes Shawn to scowl. Apologize for what, exactly? Defending himself, his mom, his dignity? "Mr. Feeny, you don't understand." 

"Enlighten me then, Mr. Hunter. What don't I understand?"

Shawn thinks it over in his head. He's never been good at expressing what he's feeling out loud and he's never been good at explaining things either. But he wants Feeny to know that Kyle had it coming. That it's not completely Shawn's fault. That Shawn shouldn't get punished for being ridiculed to the point of no control. He needs Feeny to understand. 

"He-" Shawn cuts himself off. "It- I-" Frustrated, Shawn shakes his head and reevaluates what he is going to say. "I tried walking away, Mr. Feeny. But he kept saying these _awful_ things and I couldn't-"

"He was looking for a reaction, Mr. Hunter, you should've just ignored him." Feeny interrupts. 

"It's not that easy." Shawn says, his voice practically begging for Feeny to understand.

"It seems pretty easy in class." Feeny replies in a harsh tone, not accepting any of Shawn's attempts at an excuse.

Shawn feels like he wants to cry at Feeny's lack of care over his side of the story. "Look, Mr. Feeny, I'm sorry for the trouble I caused and I plan on fully accepting those detentions."

Feeny sighs halfheartedly, fidgeting with his hands. "This school does not tolerate violence, Mr. Hunter. You are hereby suspended for the remainder of this week, effective immediately." 

Shawn stares at Feeny with his mouth agape. "Suspended?" Shawn asks in disbelief. His parents are going to kill him. Not if Cory kills him first. "You can't suspend me. It was practically self-defense!" Shouting and standing up appalled is probably not the best strategy but Shawn didn't care. It was Monday, for christ sake, he can't afford to be suspended for 4 days.

Feeny was expecting outrage, it's always dramatics when it comes to Hunter or Matthews, "Are you sorry for fighting?"

The argumentative spirit deflates out of Shawn like air in a balloon at Feeny's question, "What?"

"Are you sorry for fighting, Mr. Hunter?" Feeny repeats, waiting for Shawn's response. 

Shawn's hands drop to his side, feeling defeated. He could lie, but Shawn respects himself a little bit more than that. "No." He mumbles.

"Then you are suspended for the rest of the week." Feeny responds.

Shawn scoffs at this, "Oh, what? If I said I was sorry then I wouldn't be suspended?" He argues, finding it harder and harder to keep his voice at a respectable volume.

"No, you'd still be in trouble." Feeny says, talking to Shawn like he couldn't follow a simple conversation. "You punched a student so hard they bled. But, maybe if you felt more remorseful about your actions then we could allow you back at school sooner. Show that you aren't a threat anymore." Feeny says, keeping his face and tone passive.

Unlike Feeny, Shawn was too far gone to remain calm, "A _threat_? This is bull-" 

Feeny interrupts, maintaining his principal facade, "We have rules, Mr. Hunter. If you don't prove to me that you've learned your lesson, how could you expect the school feel certain that you won't start up another fight? This school doesn't-"

"Yeah, I know." Shawn sneers, "This school doesn't tolerate violence but apparently they sure as hell will tolerate harassment. _Fuck you_ , Mr. Feeny." Shawn spits in a final burst of anger, turning around and walking out of his office, not bothering to be dismissed. He hears Feeny yell after him but ignores it, too busy on trying to blink away the tears. 

Shawn finds himself at the park, idly drifting on the swings. He doesn't have his watch on him so he's not really sure what time it is, but no Cory means school is probably still in session. He is, however, certain that Feeny called home and Shawn really doesn't really want to face that music yet. So here he is, swinging gently on the swings.

Everything had happened so fast and Shawn just couldn't control himself. What _was_ he _thinking_? _Punching_ someone? _Cursing_ at _Feeny_? Shawn's a bigger idiot than he thought. God, he fucked up so bad. He was just so angry and Feeny had basically ignored the fact that he was hurt too. Maybe not physically, but that doesn't mean it's any less severe. 

'You don't need school.' A familiar voice sounded in his head. 'With a face like yours, you can make so much money.' Shawn had always tried to compartmentalize, storing away the bad memories of creepy men caressing the side of his face and calling him pretty. He was doing better, too. His mom stopped bringing her customers to the trailer- instead, only going over to _their_ place or a mutual meeting ground- and Shawn had almost completely blocked it all out. 

But, Kyle just _had_ to say something. He just had to pick at Shawn's scab until all the memories he worked so hard to make go away bled through. 

And no one cared.

That's the problem, Shawn decides, no one sees the hurt on the inside. They only pay attention to the wounds on the outside because those force them to see the issue. Those cannot be ignored. But the stuff inside, the stuff in his head, they don't care about that because it doesn't personally effect them. 

They don't see anything wrong because they aren't experiencing it for themselves. 

It hurts, though. It hurts so bad. Worse than Kyle's nose, Shawn bets.

Though despite his mother's less conservative job, he isn't ashamed. 

Shawn has learned that his mother is trying her best, just like his dad, and she is only putting herself through it all is so she can support the family.

So, no. Shawn isn't ashamed. If anything, he's proud.

However, it's really hard to be proud of your mom when people make degrading comments and don't get in trouble for it.

"I figured you'd be here." Someone says, startling Shawn out of his thoughts. He looks up from his lap and sees Cory sit down on the swing next to him. Shawn gives him a look, "Okay, so I might've checked Chubbies first. But look, I got you a burger and some fries." He hands Shawn a paper baggie who immediately opens it and takes a bite of the burger. After letting Shawn chew on his food for a little bit, Cory speaks up again, "So...what did Feeny say?"

Shawn put his burger down and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "I'm suspended." He says. 

"Suspended?" Cory all but screeches, "For how long?" 

"The rest of the week." 

"The rest of the week?" Cory repeats, astonished. "How could he do that to you?" 

Shawn shrugged, dejectedly. "According to him, it's all my fault."

"Well did you at least tell him that this guy was in your face saying nasty things?"

"I tried." Shawn sighs, "But he said I should've just ignored him." 

Cory scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Bullshit."

The sound of Cory cursing makes Shawn smile slightly, "That's what I said." 

Cory narrows his eyes at Shawn skeptically, "You didn't _actually_ say to him, did you?"

"Please, Cory, I'm not an idiot." Shawn says shaking his head. "I said 'fuck you' to him, instead." 

Cory goes quiet for a minute before in one swoop, grabs the Chubbie's bag out of Shawn's hand and tosses it onto the ground. "Are you out of your mind!?" Cory yells, smacking Shawn's arm with each word. 

"Hey- ow! Cory, stop!" Shawn yells back, batting Cory's hands away from him.

Cory finally stops his attack but he continues giving Shawn a dirty look. There's a beat of silence between the two of them before Cory grumbles, "You _are_ an idiot."

Shawn huffs out a laugh, "Yeah, I know." 

The creak of the swing alongside the breeze against his face allows Shawn to relax and think about what he is going to do next. He's tempted to run. Hop a bus and escape to a place where no one knows about him or his family. A place where he can start over.

"Ya know, Shawn." Cory starts, interrupting Shawn's escape plan, "I'm going to have to use my level 100 charm to get Feeny to forget about this one." 

Shawn looks over at his best friend with furrowed eyebrows, "What are you talking about?"

Cory just rolls his eyes, a bad habit he likely picked up from Shawn, "Oh, please. Like I wasn't going to try to get you out of this mess." He shoots Shawn a reassuring smile and Shawn returns it.

"Thanks, Cor." Shawn sighs. "But let's be honest, I really screwed up this time."

Cory shrugs halfheartedly, "At least you didn't blow anything up."

Shawn lets out a laugh, "Fair enough." Shawn then sighs, resting his head against the chain of the swing, "My parents are going to kill me."

"Probably." Cory agrees. "You're lucky _I_ haven't killed you." 

This causes Shawn to smile but the lighthearted atmosphere the two had before doesn't come back. Instead, Shawn feels his eyes mist up and he furiously begins to blink the blurriness away. "I fucked up so bad, Cor." Shawn says softly, his voice cracking. "I cause so many problems all the time." He snorts and looks at Cory with red rimmed eyes, "Lets face it, _I_ am the problem." 

Cory swallows the lump in his throat at seeing his best friend so vulnerable. "You are not a problem." Cory says, immediately wanting to tear that deprecating thought out of Shawn's head. "You just have problems. We all do."

Shawn just sighs, "There's something wrong with me."

Cory distractingly kicks his feet into the dirt, "Or maybe there's something wrong with everyone else and you're actually the normal one."

Shawn gives Cory a look, "I highly doubt that."

"Think about it, Shawnie." Cory says, stopping his movements and turning to fully face Shawn, "Maybe in this scenario there is nothing wrong with you. There's something wrong with the system."

Shawn cocks his head to the side in thought, "The system?"

"The school system." Cory corrects. "I mean, how many times have students been intimidated by others or shoved in lockers or called awful names or made fun of?"

Shawn thinks about this for a second. "Happens almost every day."

"And yet, no one does anything about it." Cory states like he just figured out the secret of life.

"The teachers only get involved when it gets physical. And even sometimes then they don't notice until the crowd gets too loud." Shawn includes, his eyes widening.

Cory nods, smiling. "That's the problem. Not you. Not me. Not them. Not even the Kyle. The problem is that the school only recognizes violence in terms of physical acts that were caught by adults, but never verbal attacks."

"But mental health should be deemed as just as important as physical health." Shawn finishes and lets out a low whistle. "Damn."

The two sit in the silence for a little bit letting their new revelation sink in. They stay in the park, swinging and talking like little kids. Like when the world was easier to live in. They both don't want to leave but the setting sun is enough to convince them start heading home. Cory gives Shawn a pat on the back as a silent 'good luck' before they part ways.

When Shawn opens the trailer door, he is immediately greeted with the sight of parents seemingly waiting for him. Virna was pouring herself a glass of wine by the counter and Chet sat relaxed on his chair, nursing a beer. 

"There you are." Virna says gesturing at Shawn as soon as she noticed him creep into the trailer. She takes a huge gulp of her wine before placing the glass on the counter and walking towards Shawn, now looking ready to slap him. "Your principal called. You got into a fight." 

Shawn cringes, hoping that this conversation would come at a later time- preferably never. "I-"

"Heard you broke the fucker's nose, good work, son." Chet interrupts, raising his bottle like a celebratory toast. 

"Chet!" Virna exclaims in a scolding tone. 

"What?" Chet laughs, getting up from where he was sitting. "I doubt the boy punched the guy for no reason." He then turns to Shawn and talks in a lower voice, "You didn't punch the guy for no reason, right?" Shawn shakes his head which causes Chet to laugh again, grabbing Shawn by the shoulder and playfully patting his chest.

Virna massages her temple, obviously trying to control her desire to yell. "Honey-"

"He was saying derogatory things about you." Shawn blurts, still evidently upset about it. Both Virna and Chet blink at Shawn for a minute before the man grabs his beer from where he set it on the table and plops back in his chair.

"Told ya." He mumbles. 

Virna stands still, with her hands covering her mouth as she takes in her distressed son. "Oh." Is all she can manage, already feeling her own tears prickle at her eyes.

"It's okay, mom. I'm okay. I don't care what you do but it didn't give him a right to say those things about you. About _us_." Shawn says, stepping towards his mom hesitantly, reaching for a hug. 

She held her son close for a couple seconds before pulling away. The woman seemed to regain her composure and was back into motherly scolding mode. "It doesn't matter if he did or didn't deserve it, Shawn, you can't fight people." 

Shawn looked at the ground in shame, shuffling his feet a bit. "I know." He mumbles. 

"And nothing- _nothing_ \- gives you an excuse to lash out at your principal like that." Virna says, in a more harsh tone. Feeny sounded mortified over the phone, like he couldn't believe his own student would use such language against him. 

"What did you say to the little mustache man?" Chet asks, this now catching his attention. It's one thing to punch someone who deserved a good punch, it's another thing to take that anger out on someone who was doing their job. Especially if that someone is an authoritative figure. 

Both Virna and Chet look at Shawn expectedly, waiting for him to repeat what went on in the principal's office hours ago. Virna already knew, but she wanted her son to say it for himself. Shawn's eyes dart around the trailer as he fidgets with his shirt sleeve, "Imight'vetoldhimfuckyou." He mumbles, incomprehensibly.

"Huh?"

"I might've toldhimfuckyou." He repeats, still keeping most of the sentence under his breath.

"What?"

"I might've told him fuck you!" Shawn repeats, louder than necessary. He averts his eyes back at the ground in shame. "I didn't mean to- it just slipped out. I was so angry and he wouldn't listen to me-" Shawn tries explaining in a rush but is stopped by Chet's laughter.

"Well that's never good." The man says, taking a swing from his beer.

"Try and take this a bit more seriously, Chet. He's suspended for the rest of the week." Virna snaps, starting to get frustrated at Chet's dismissive outlook on the whole ordeal. 

"I'm taking this seriously." Chet grunts. He points his beer bottle at Shawn, "Go apologize to Freedo-"

"Feeny."

"Feeny. Go over to his house and tell the man you're sorry. If that doesn't do the trick, we'll figure out something tomorrow." Chet says nonchalantly. 

Virna sighs, but doesn't disagree. "Listen, it's getting late and I have to go to work." She says sympathetically. "But your father is right. Go apologize to Mr. Feeny and if that doesn't work then we tried our best for right now." 

Shawn wants to argue that he doesn't really want to see Feeny after everything went down, but he's lucky he's still breathing so maybe it's a good idea to listen to his parents. "Okay." Shawn reluctantly agrees, turning around and walking out the door. 

By the time he gets to Feeny's house, Shawn can hear faint yelling. He shoves his hands in his pockets and walks over to the connecting yards. He decides to stay hidden behind Cory's big tree so he can hear the last bits of the conversation.

"Ask anybody who was there, they'll tell you the same thing. Shawn is an innocent victim." He hears Cory says. He wonders how long the boy has been defending his honor.

"Mr. Hunter is hardly innocent." Feeny reminds Cory. "He may have been in the beginning, but _he's_ the one who broke another student's nose and _he's_ the one who used bad language at a teacher." He says, exasperated. It's obvious Cory has been arguing with him for quite some time. It is also pretty late and he's sure Feeny wants to go inside, drink a nice cup of tea, and do whatever old people do.

"Oh, c'mon, Mr. Feeny, that's some unfair bullshit and you know it." Cory scoffs. "I didn't see Kyle in the principal's office. No. You always pick on Shawn."

"That's enough, Cory!" Alan scolds.

"Cory, maybe you need to go inside before you're the one suspended." Amy says, crossing her arms and giving her son a disapproving look. 

"No, Mom." Cory states, and Shawn is worried that he actually might get suspended. Or with the way his parents are looking at him, something worse. "I'm not done."

Deciding now was a good time to make himself known before Cory gets himself in any real trouble, Shawn shuffles over to where Cory, Amy, Alan, and Mr. Feeny are standing. "It's okay, Cor."

All eyes immediately flicker to Shawn and he looks down to avoid the assumably angry eyes from the adults. Cory lets out the breath of whatever he was going to say and gives Shawn a pat on the back. "I thought you were dead."

"Yeah, well, in a couple of minutes I might be." Shawn says before turning to Feeny with his hands behind his back and a guilty expression on his face. "Mr. Feeny, I-I'm sorry for losing my temper and cursing at you. I had no right to be so disrespectful, you were just doing what is expected of you and I'm sorry."

Feeny nods approvingly. "And the fighting, Mr. Hunter?"

Shawn rocks back and forth on his feet, "Won't happen again."

Feeny begins doing that habit of his where he fidgets with his hands. "Are you sorry for fighting?"

Shawn knows this is his out and that he could repent the mistake he made earlier today about keeping his dignity. He could lie. But something about what Cory said before resinated with him. And he wants Feeny to hear and understand that. Shawn decidedly shakes his head, "I'm not going to apologize for something I'm not sorry for." 

This time Feeny's nod is more resigned. "I see." He says and continues wringing his hands. "Well, Mr. Hunter, I appreciate you coming over here to apologize. And I forgive you for cursing. However, this does not mean your suspension will be lifted." 

Shawn shrugs, "I know." 

Cory begins waving his pointer finger at Feeny, "Mr. Feeny, you are being totally unfair-"

Shawn reaches over and tugs Cory's arm down, "I can handle it, Cory." Shawn then turns to Feeny again, "What punishment did Kyle get?" He asks.

Feeny doesn't look surprised at the question, "Mr. Delancey is the one with the broken nose. I think he's been punished enough." 

Shawn rubs his hand over the split knuckle. He still doesn't feel bad about it. "So he gets away with it basically." Shawn scoffs, "Typical."

"Shawn." He hears Alan's warning tone. He forgot there was an audience. 

"Are you _really_ starting this again, Mr. Hunter?" Feeny asks.

"It's just-" Shawn lets out a forced laugh before running a hand through his hair. “You’re whole no violence policy is bullshit."

"I beg your pardon?" Feeny interrupts, startled by Shawn's sudden uproar.

Shawn runs another nervous hand through his hair and decides there no going back. But hey, problems don't go away just because you pretend they aren't there. "You say you’re doing something by showing no lenience to fighting but then turn a complete blind eye to the verbal abuse kids are suffering every day. You do nothing about it. Because fighting makes you look bad, not the words exchanged. Words are invisible to the passerby but bruises are not, and _that's_ the problem. It’s only when bones are broken that you realize there’s an issue but sometimes that's too late. Verbal harassment is just as bad, if not worse, than physical fighting but no one ever cares. It's not as easy as you may think to just ignore what other people say. So please don’t victim blame and then expect me to come here and apologize. Don’t expect anyone to learn anything from this because all you’ve proven is that no one really cares. Not about the complete health of students, at least.”

When Shawn catches his breath after his speech, it seems even the crickets have gone quiet with awe. Cory places a supportive hand on Shawn's shoulder, knowing how hard it was for the other boy to say all that. But it needed to be said. 

"Mr. Hunter-" Feeny starts in a quiet tone but Shawn interrupts him with a shake of his head.

"All my life, I have been made fun of for who I am. I have gotten trash thrown at me. I have gotten mocked for not being able to afford lunch. I have gotten told awful things. But not once did anybody do something about it. Some asshole made a derogatory comment about my mother. I'm sorry, Mr. Feeny, but I can't just sit there and take it forever." Shawn admits in a softer voice. 

Feeny swallows, processing all this new information. "Mr. Hunter, I had no idea." 

"Shawn." Amy says in a gentle tone. "Why didn't you tell anybody?"

Shawn just shrugs, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "No one wants to be the tattle tale." Shawn sighs, "Besides, no one has done anything about it before. Not even when it happens to somebody else. Who was I to think the school would care?"

Feeny sighs, "I'm afraid this is my fault." He says which gains everyone's attention. "I want John Adams High to be a safe environment where boys and girls could feel safe and comfortable. It appears I have achieved none of that."

"Mr. Feeny." Shawn says, shuffling over closer to the older man, "You're a good teacher. And you're a good principal. It's just you're a typical adult- no offense guys- and it's kinda like out of sight out of mind. You can't see we're hurting on the inside because, duh, it's on the inside. It's hard to reach out because no one thinks you'll take it seriously. Ya know? Like it's easily pushed aside or deemed as another dramatic episode. Maybe try and listen to the students more? Hear what they are saying."

Feeny looks at the young man in front of him and feels proud, despite the bitter conversation they had earlier in the day, "Thank you, Mr. Hunter. Your words matter and I'll be sure to take into account what both you and Mr. Matthews have to say. And other students if they wish to step forward." 

Shawn smiles at Feeny and feels a weight lifted off his shoulders. Cory walks up next to Shawn and pulls him into a quick side hug. The victory is short lasting, though. "I'm still suspended, right?" Shawn asks with a pout.

Feeny looks like he's weighing his options before responding, "One day suspension and detention after school for a month."

Shawn looks at him with wide eyes, "Really?" He asks in disbelief.

"You made some excellent points, Mr. Hunter. I only wish we could have discussed this before you blew up and stormed out." Feeny says, giving Shawn a I-didn't-forget-what-happened look.

Shawn at least has the decency to look sheepish. "I'm real sorry about that." 

Feeny dismisses it with a wave of his hand, "All is forgiven." He says before going to walk into his house. He opens the door before turning back at the group, "Though, you and Mr. Matthews need to watch your language before someone washes your mouth out with soap." He comments before entering his house and shutting the door.

Cory and Shawn look at each other with wide eyes before looking at Amy and Alan who are both standing there with a smirk. 

"Hey, Alan." Amy says tauntingly, putting an arm around her husband as they walk inside their own house. "Where do we keep the extra bars of soap again?"

**Author's Note:**

> mental health is important, let me tell you that. while this story doesn't dive deep into personal mental problems, it does demonstrate how other's words can cut deeper than you'd think. 
> 
> i always felt weird talking about how i feel in my head because the one time i mentioned having a panic attack to my parents it wasn't taken seriously and i realized that adults typically don't take it seriously. mental health awareness has become priority with the new generation (idk if it's because we all have a lot of problems or what) but i still feel like schools overlook it. especially when it comes down to what kids say to other kids. because let's be honest, kids can be cruel. and it's really hard to ignore.
> 
> also bullying is not just black and white. there is the instigator that many times will not get in trouble for pushing a kid's button until they snap and i think that is completely unfair. also bullying is not just physical which after watching boy meets world it kinda made me upset when the adults didn't step in until there was an actual fight. like in the episode where shawn's dad is the janitor, mr. turner heard the taunts from that kid and could've easily stopped it before it escalated to shawn attacking the other boy. but that's just my opinion.
> 
> one of my favorite quotes (idek who said it, i think i heard it from some youtuber) is "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will emotionally scare me for life" and i think that's important because broken bones heal, but you never forget what someone says to you.
> 
> anyway, i hope you lovelies enjoyed and are doing okay because everyone deserves to be happy :) (okay maybe not everyone but you know what i mean). 
> 
> have a good day or night !


End file.
